New Looks and Quinoa Pad Thai
You may have noticed there has been some construction underway in the Messy Kitchen. My wonderful friend Emilie has been helping revamp the look, once again. She was also the designer of the old banner that you’ve all come to know and love! I loved it too, but it seems that about every 18 months I get the urge to get bangs and give the blog a makeover. Anyways, the new look is just about complete.
As for the bangs… well, those always prove to be a bit of a struggle. When I got my hair done for my good friend Emilia’s wedding a couple weeks back, the stylist actually had to cut my bangs to fit with my up do. You’re probably wondering why I agree to these things? Luckily it worked out fine until Tuesday, when I tried to give myself a little trim before work and failed miserably. Poor Courtney was shaken awake by a panicked wife who needed to leave for work in three minutes shouting, “please help, please help, I look like a monkey!” Lesson learned: marry a man who can cut hair. I suppose the lesson could also be “don’t cut your own hair three minutes before you need to leave for work,” but everything worked out fine, so I’m going with the former.
God I hope my hair dresser doesn’t read this.
Anyways, enough about my hair and poor life decisions. Let’s talk about Pad Thai. I’ve tried a number of twists on Pad Thai over the years, the closest to the real thing being this Tofu Pad Thai that I wasn’t all that impressed with. Ironically, my favorites so far have been the completely grainless renditions, the Noodleless Cabbage Pad Thai, with the Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai as a close second. As you probably could have guessed, this quinoa Pad Thai replaces the noodles with quinoa. I used chicken, although you could certainly substitute tofu or skip the meat all together.
If you’re a big quinoa fan, you’ll probably like this dish. It’s heartier than is grain-free counterparts; my husband liked it because he felt it kept him fuller longer. Personally, the cabbage noodle Pad Thai is still my favorite because it’s just so ridiculously simple to make, and because it’s so healthy while still being so incredibly satisfying. Still, this recipe deserves a shot, especially if you lead a lifestyle that requires a few more calories and carbs.
Quinoa Pad Thai
Adapted from Cooking for Keeps
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, cooked according to package
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup bean sprouts (plus more, to garnish)
- 1 cup shredded napa cabbage
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons date paste
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sirracha (plus more, to garnish)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- 1 pound chicken cooked and shredded
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
- Salt
- Lime wedges, to garnish
Directions:
- In a large skillet or wok heat one teaspoon peanut oil over a high heat. Stir-fry garlic, sprouts, carrots and cabbage about 2-3 minutes, remove from pan.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over a medium low heat, whisk together date paste, brown sugar, water, sriracha and fish sauce. Heat just until brown sugar is dissolved and set aside.
- Heat another teaspoon of oil in pan, add quinoa, stir fry about 1-2 minutes.
- Add vegetables back in with the quinoa. Make a well in the center of the pan and scramble eggs and combine well. Stir in the sauce.
Woka Woka! - Serve garnished with chopped peanuts, sprouts and fresh lime! Add sriracha and soy sauce if desired.
